Tag Archives: Russia

US dollar now used to settle just 45 percent of exports to EU and China, and just one third of imports Checkpoint AsiaRussia’s Pledge to Ditch the Dollar Is Fast Becoming a Reality Andrey Biryukov, Bloomberg

Russia is meticulously advancing Eurasian chessboard moves that should be observed in conjunction, as Moscow proposes to the Global South an approach diametrically opposed to Western sanctions, threats and economic war. Here are three recent examples.... Asia TimesAttack on Iran would be an attack on Russia Pepe Escobar

This is a reasonably good assessment of Russia in terms of what it is now, it's past and it's forward trajectory. The one matter with which I would strongly disagree is Tenin view that Russia will never be a super-power again. Russia is a super-power now. It is the only country with the means to counter the US militarily. Although China is rising quickly, it likely won't become a superpower in a decade or two. But a strategic alliance between Russia and China would defang NATO's ability to...

“In 2019, we will hold six exercises on the territory of four countries: Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, – Valery Semerikov said, answering journalists’ questions. – The total number of forces involved, according to our calculations, will be about 12 thousand”. During these operational and strategic exercises of the CSTO Joined forces “Combat brotherhood – 2019,” as reported, an entire complex of measures of prevention or deterrent, as well as resolution of military conflict...

Getting out of the bubble. Russia InsiderTop Russian Governors, Heads of Major Ministries Made to Work on Road Crews to Learn Humility, Stay Grounded (Russian TV News) RI Staff

I recently received a copy of a most interesting book, A.B. Abrams’ “Power and Primacy: the history of western intervention in Asia” and as soon as I started reading it I decided that I wanted to interview the author and ask him about what is taking place in Asia in our times. This was especially interesting to me since Putin has embarked on the Russian version of Obama’s “pivot to Asia“, with the big difference that Putin’s pivot has already proven to be a fantastic success, whereas...

If international diplomacy indulges in symbolism, this must be one of the most poignant ones in world politics in the recent times. The RIC has always been a red rag for the US — ever since the great Soviet strategic thinker and Kremlin statesman Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov first proposed the tantalising idea in 1999. The profound symbolism cannot be lost on Trump that India is consorting with the two “revisionist powers” on the planet (Russia and China) which, according to the US, are...

China hopes to win Indian and Russian support in establishing a “new type” of “rules-based” and “multilateral” trade initiative.Multiple Indian media reports suggest the country’s recently re-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join forces with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan this week to express their concerns about US President Donald Trump’s protectionist...

If you are aware of John Helmer's blog Dancing with Bears, frequently linked to here, you may be interest in this. Otherwise, not so much.IrrussianalityBook Review – John HelmerPaul Robinson | Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa

Putin was not joking about sanctions being a blessing in disguise, since Russia would have found it difficult to restructure otherwise. Necessity is the mother of invention.Gold, Goats 'n GunsRussia’s Exports Continue to Defy Sanctions Tom Luongo